Howard, Australian Defense Force Chief Angus Houston and around 30 military and media personnel were on board the RAAF C-130 Hercules transport plane when a burning smell seeped into the cockpit Saturday.

The aircraft then returned to the airstrip at Talil air base, 300 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, and Howard was rushed off the plane immediately after the plane landed.

Fire crews rushed to the scene, but the cause of the smoke was not immediately obvious.

Howard then traveled to Baghdad on a helicopter and met his Iraqi counterpart Nouri Al Maliki.

Howard said Australia will remain committed in Iraq until Iraqis can provide their own security.

Australia, a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led war on terror, currently maintains around 1,400 troops in the Middle East, including 800 based inside Iraq. About 30 Australian instructors are helping train the Iraqi army at a training center near Talil.

Before the secret visit to Iraq, Howard traveled to Afghanistan secretly, where he visited Australian troops there and met with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai to discuss whether Australia needs to send more troops to the Asian country.

Australia currently has some 550 troops inside Afghanistan, including 370 as members of the reconstruction task force engaged in development projects in Oruzgan province in south-central Afghanistan.